Rivermen coach Jared Bednar dumped by Blues

Jared Bednar will not return for a third season as head coach of the Peoria Rivermen.

The parent club St. Louis Blues essentially fired Bednar on Tuesday by declining to pick up a club option for a third season on his contract.

Dave Eminian

Jared Bednar will not return for a third season as head coach of the Peoria Rivermen.

The parent club St. Louis Blues essentially fired Bednar on Tuesday by declining to pick up a club option for a third season on his contract.

It was a surprise move, as Bednar was praised for his work at the end of his second season and organizational sources indicated in May that the coach’s club option would be picked up.

“I’m not sure what happened,” Bednar said. “All indications were I was staying. I’m so disappointed I can’t describe it.”

The Blues said Tuesday evening that there is a large pool of significant coaches looking for jobs. The NHL club expects to hire a new Rivermen head coach quickly — before the NHL Entry Draft in 10 days.

“I was looking forward to coming back and taking another try at it,” Bednar said. “I’m grateful for the opportunity the Blues gave me to coach in the AHL. I enjoyed my time (in Peoria) and I wanted to remain a part of it.

“This year I felt we had a good team, just couldn’t find a way into the playoffs. Over my two years there our teams were hard-working, developed good players for the Blues and our coaching staff and players did a great job.

“I can walk away knowing I worked hard and helped the Blues organization.”

Bednar was 81-63-12 in two seasons with Peoria, and led his team to the playoffs in his rookie campaign.

Both of his seasons saw massive player-games lost to injuries and call-ups.

The Rivermen sent multiple players to the AHL All-Star Game in each season — and Bednar went as a coach in 2011-12 — and spent significant time in first place both years.

Peoria was in the division lead in mid-March this season but faltered in the final weeks with a team many thought would go deep into the playoffs. The franchise's home finale was a profound loss, with its fans booing the team as it missed the playoffs for the fourth time in seven years.

“You make tough decisions,” said Blues assistant general manager, director of pro scouting and Rivermen GM Kevin McDonald, declining to discuss specifics. “I felt it was necessary to make a change. I want to thank Jared for his dedication ... he deserves tremendous credit for developing our young players. ...

“It was a tough situation and it was my call. It took longer to get to this evaluation than we would have liked. But it had to be.”

Word filtered through the Rivermen player ranks quickly on Tuesday.

“Shocking,” said Rivermen defenseman and AHL All-Star Cade Fairchild, who also made his NHL debut with the Blues as a rookie. “I’m speechless. We didn’t expect this at all.”

Said 20-goal scorer and veteran Rivermen winger Derek Nesbitt, who is already signed for next season:

“I am very surprised. It’s a wakeup call for a lot of players on our team. You have to play.

“We underachieved as players and maybe Jared took the fall for it. We’ve all been through that, one way or another. In the end, you accept responsibility and respect the decision the organization makes.”

Bednar’s Rivermen sent 10 players to the Blues for NHL stints last season, and 13 in 2010-11.

Peoria played with 8 ECHL players in its lineup down the stretch two seasons ago and made the AHL playoffs, where it was swept.

Last season, the Rivermen lost AHL All-Star goaltender Ben Bishop to an NHL trade and lost key defenseman Ian Cole to a permanent call-up, along with other moves.

“We didn’t make the playoffs for the first time in my career as a head coach,” Bednar said. “The day we were eliminated was not a good day, did not feel good. Today does not feel good, either.

“Now I have to turn the page. I’m a coach. I love the competition. There aren’t a lot of jobs out there, but I want to get back to the bench as soon as possible.”

Dave Eminian covers the Peoria Rivermen for the Journal Star. Reach him at 686-3206 or deminian@pjstar.com. Check out his sports blog, Cleve's World, at pjstar.com and follow him on Twitter @icetimecleve.